When I hear the term “ultra-processed” food, my mind goes directly to what I see in most convenience stores. Sodas, energy drinks, candy bars, pastries and cheese puffs come to mind. These items contain more than their fair share of sugar and/or salt and are sorely lacking in essential nutrients such as protein, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

Not everything in a package is ultra-processed, however. In fact, many healthful foods are processed, meaning they have been altered from their original state in some way. From preserving meat to home-canning fruit and vegetables, we’ve been processing our food for centuries, says the Institute of Food Technologists (ift.org). Today, everything from bread and cut vegetables to canned tuna and peanut butter are considered processed foods.

Some processed food can be safer and even more nutritious than their natural counterpart. Canned tomatoes, for example, are a better source of lycopene — a strong antioxidant that may help lower the risk for prostate cancer in men — than fresh tomatoes.

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) however, are often devoid of essential nutrients, which can be a problem if they make up the bulk of one’s diet. A recent government report says “a growing body of research associates ultra-processed foods with negative health outcomes, including in children.”

So what are ultra-processed foods? Good question. As of yet, nutrition and health experts have not agreed on one standard definition. Basically, the farther away a food is from its natural state, the more processed it becomes. Here are a few examples from several sources:

Fresh corn on the cob: Unprocessed

Corn kernels cut off the cob, cooked and frozen: Minimally processed

Canned corn: Processed

Corn chips: Ultra-processed

Fresh tomato: Unprocessed

Canned tomatoes: Minimally processed

Tomato sauce or paste: Processed

Ketchup: Ultra-processed

Whole grains such as wheat or oats: Minimally processed

Whole grain flour, bread, tortillas, fresh or dried pasta: Processed

Refined flour, instant noodles, pastries, sweetened breakfast cereals: Ultra-processed

Fresh milk: Unprocessed

Pasteurized milk: Minimally processed with heat to kill bacteria

Cheese/plain yogurt: Minimally processed

Sweetened, flavored yogurt: Processed

Milk chocolate, packaged yogurt snacks: Ultra-processed

Fresh whole fruit and nuts: Unprocessed

Dried fruit and dried nuts and seeds: Minimally processed

Fruit juice and nut butters: Processed

Boxed juice drink and peanut butter cookie mix: Ultra-processed

Fresh meat, poultry, fish: Unprocessed

Ground meat: minimally processed

Hot dogs, sausage and other salted meats, canned fish: Processed

Laboratory grown meat, chicken nuggets: Ultra-processed

Fresh olives: Unprocessed (Note: Olives must first be cured to remove bitter compounds before they are edible.)

Cured olives: Minimally processed

Extra virgin olive oil: Minimally processed

By the way, say food technologists, organic food ingredients are processed in the same manner as non-organic counterparts.

Come to think of it, perhaps the best choices in a convenience store might be the nuts or the lone bananas we sometimes see at the checkout counter.

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